Self-sustaining visible display merchandise container



March 5, 1940. J. L. RosEFIELD SELF-SUSTAIIING VISIBLE DISPLAY MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Filed Feb. 27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 vMarch 5, 1940. J. l.. ROSEFIELD SELF-SUSTAINING VISIBL/E DISPLAY MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Filed Feb. 27. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 5, 194() UNITED STATES srLF-sUsrAlniNo VISIBLE DrsrLAr MERCHANDISE coNTAINEn Joseph L. Roseeld, Alameda, Calif.

Appiicatien February 27, 1936, Serial No. 65,961

7 Claims.

This invention relates to containers which will insure hermetic sealing against evaporation and contamination as well as the advantages of Visibility and facility of packaging bestowed upon goods by the use of cellulosic or other like transparent sheet material. The invention has for its object to adapt such transparent sheet material to the production, filling and sealing of containers capable of retaining their own form, lending form or shape to the charge of commodity introduced within them, in some instances serving as the measure of such commodity, and facilitating the embodiment in the container of dispensing facilities in those instances in which controlled or repeated partial discharge of the contained commodity andcontinued ad interim protection of the undischarged portion are desirable.

Some of the problems incident to the use of transparent sheet material of the class described arise from the difficulty heretofore experienced of fabricating form-retaining containers therefrom; and avoidance of contact with the goods of structural elements pervious and banal thereto.

The present invention proceedsupon the principle of utilizing framing elements constituting a minimum proportion of the confining area of a container, enveloping such framing elements in impervious transparent sheet material, and thereby preventing contact with the goods in instances where such contact would be banal or would leave the goods free to escape by absorption in the framing material; utilizing the frameenveloping material as a foundation with which to hermeticaily unite transparent sheet material constituting the remaining connes of the container; ccs-relating the said remaining transparent confines with the enveloped framing connes in such manner that the frame keeps the transparent confines distended and in a condition to physically restrain the contents of the package; and utilizing a framing confine or confines upon which to mount discharge-controlling, venting or other adjunctive means desirable for particular types of merchandise for the distribution of which the new container may be employed.

In the accompanying drawings, which show several embodiments of the invention by way of illustration- Figure l is a plan view of a framing strip scored to facilitate folding on lines that present its several portions in positions to serve as the four lat- Y eral confines oi a container frame, together with overlapping frame connections, and having an impervious envelope developed thereon by wrapping it in lap-sealed impervious'sheet material of one of the kinds herein contemplated.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section through a framing member developed from the strip shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line Sie-3m of Figure 2, and showing the frame open at top and bottom.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4:6--417 of Figure with the addition of a bottom septum or wall of transparent material applied to the fraining in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 5 is a View corresponding to Figure 4 and having applied to the top thereof a second septumby Way of completing the closure of the container; the lilling of the container with a commodity being suggested by cross hatching.

Figure G is a vertical longitudinal section of a container developed similarly to Figure 5; the section being taken in a plane which shows, at the left-hand end, the lapped uniting portions of the` framing strip, and in the opposite end wall of the frame a grommet, bushing, or t'he like, constituting a dispensing opening for contained liquid, finely subdivided commodity or other mate- 12.0

rial capable ci flowing.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 'Ix-1x of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a view corresponding to Figure 1,

showing a frame-developing strip enveloped be-rw tween two substantially co-extensive strips of transparent material laid onl opposite sides thereof, with a Width permitting the transparent strips to enter into contact beyond the margins of the framing strip'and there adhered together to *y complete the impervious envelope.

Figure 9 is a plan view of a framing blank consisting of material having sufficient rigidity to render it self-sustaining, scored for folding on lines that will develop the bottom and four lateral Walls of a tray, and hermetically sealed between two sheets of marginally united impervious material having an area that not only covers the framing material but provides sealing portions to be folded around the foureorners of the tray when the said walls are in upstanding position.

Fig. l0 is a view partly in horizontal section, and Figure 1l is a vertical transverse section showing on a larger scale than Figure 9, a uid tight tray developed from the blank shown in Figure 9.

Figure l2 is a view corresponding to and on substantially the same scale as Figure 9 and smaller than Figure l0, of a blank adapted to be manipulated similarly to Figure 9 into the tray shown in Figure l0, but diiering from Figure 9 in that the hermetic sealing together of the facing sheets oi impervious material is accomplished by olding the margins of a sheet on one side of and of larger area than the framing blank, over the edges of the blank and upon the marginal portions of the sheet on the other side of and substantially corresponding in area to the blank.

Figure 13 is a sectional View of a container made in accordance with the present invention,

in principle like the embodiments shown in Fig-y ures 1 to 5, but having a portion of one end of the framing element movable in a manner to adapt the container to serve for dispensing cigarettes and without defeating a desired retention of moisture by the impervious material.

Figure 14 is a vertical section disclosing a tray corresponding generally to the tray shown in Figure 4 but composed of wire framing enveloped in hermetically lap-sealed, impervious sheet material and a bottom closure of the same material.

Figures 15 and 16 are, respectively, a fragmentary vertical section and a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of a container developed in correspondence with that shown in Figure 5, but including venting means to permit escape of interiorly developed gases or pressure of heat-expanded air but checking said vent against ingress of air from the exterior of the package; and

Figure 1'? is a view suggestive of the development, under the principle of the present invention, of a hermetic container for the merchandise package of irregularly shaped goods.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, A represents a strip of pasteboard, cardboard or other material having sufcient rigidity to serve as a collarlike framing for a container, scored at the several points marked X to facilitate its folding on lines developing the two side portions I and the two end portions B of a rectangular frame, together with a lapping portion 3 for uniting the frame at its fourth corner; and 4 represents a portion of transparent, impervious sheet material enveloping the strip A and hermetically closed around the same by lap-seal 5 existing between the margins la and 4b of the said sheet, and lap-seals 6 and l just beyound the ends of the strip and in position to fix the assembly of the framing portions by uniting the said end lap-seals upon faces of the enveloping material, as indicated in the assembled frame of Figure 2.

The hermetically,enveloped frame as shown in Figures 1 to 3 may be said to provide a tray as shown in Figure 4 where a bottom septum or transparent wall 8 is applied by lapping the margins 9 of a portion of the transparent sheet material upon and adhering them to the outer facing of the frame; or said imperviously enveloped frame may be developed into a hermetic closure surrounding a commodity suggested at Y (Figure 4) by applying both bottom and top transparent sheet closures 8 and 8a, with their margins folded over and permanently united to outer facing materials of the frame members.

As shown in Figures 6 and '7, an end wall of the framing member may serve well for the location of a grommet or other thimble or bushing It pressed into gripping relation as shown, with impervious sheets on the inner and outer faces of the end wall 2 around the confines of an aperture in said end wall, and thereby sealing the connection between the wall and grommet. The longitudinal section of Figure 6, being taken in the plane of the dispensing opening IG, shows at its left-hand end the overlap between the parts 2 and S oi Figures 1 and 2.

As suggested in Figure 8, the frame-forming strip A may be hermetically enveloped by two strips of impervious sheet material made sufficiently wider than the foldable strip to leave uniting margins of the enveloping material extending beyond the edges of the foldable strip.

Adhesion together of two portions of the enveloping material or transparent wall-forming material may be accomplished by supplying heat to some classes of such material and thereby fusing together portions thereof which are brought into contact. The same elect may be produced in other classes of such material by the use of a solvent between their meeting faces which causes them to flow together and become united.

In Figure 9, the blank B has its corners cut out as at il, thereby leaving a portion l2 corresponding to the bottom of a tray, portions i3 corresponding to the sides thereof and portions I4 corresponding to the ends of a tray; and this blank is enveloped in two sheets of impervious material which correspond to and extend substantially beyound the perimeter of the blank, including the cutaway portion H, to provide for union of the two sheets of enveloping material; and those portions of such enveloping sheets which overlie the corners II will, when the end and side walls are folded to an upstanding position, provide uniting laps as suggested on a larger scale, for instance at Ila in Figure l0, and by dotted lines in Figure 1l, where, by uniting them with faces of enveloping material which they overlap, the structure of the tray is rendered complete.

Instead of relying on extended margins of the enveloping sheets as in Figure 9, one sheet, as shown in Figure 12, may be out to closely correspond in area with the foldable framing blank B' plus the corners II, while the other enveloping sheet is cut surliciently larger' to provi-de lapseals I5 folded over the edges of the framing blank and adhered upon marginal portions of the facing sheet first named.

As shown in Figure 13, one end wall lila of a tray produced as described in connection with Figures 1 to 5, and assumed to have impervious closure sheets stretched over the frame on both of its broad sides, will have a portion Mb of said end member provided with a tongue Ille, as well as a tug Md so that it may be pulled upward out of the container, for instance, by causing it to bend on the line lite and thereby develop in the end of the container a sufficient opening for the convenient removal of cigarettes or other commodity packed in the container. Inner and outer impervious facing sheets upon a wall so liexed serve to sustain the wall an-d maintain the impervious condition thereat.

In Figure 13, the sectionallyindicated material I@ is intended to designate the ordinary characteristic proprietary wrapper of the cigarette manufacturer that would be applicable to a ccntainer such as shown in Figure 13, ita being intended to designate, with exaggerated thickness for the sake of clearness, the end folds of such Wrapper.

As suggested in Figure 14, a tray or complete hermetic closure embodying the principle of the present invention may be developed by using a wire frame I 8 over which is stretched and lapsealed, as shown at 5a, a sheet of impervious material held distended by said wire frame; supporting the bottom closure I9 lap-sealed at I 3a to the sheeting over the lateral connes of said frame; and, if provided at top with a duplication of the closure I9, as in the oase of Figure 5, it will constitute a wire-framed hermetic closure.

In Figures l5 and 16 is illustrated a means of interiorly venting and exteriorly checking the container with reference to flow of air or gas, and this means consists of a vent 2li through an end wall 2a terminating, however, beneath the outer facing sheet 2| which overlaps said end wall so that any pressure developing within the container would pass outwardly between facing sheet 2l and end wall 2a until it reached the slot 22 in said facing sheet offset from said vent 2l),

where it would become vented to the outside air.

A reversal of pressure, however-for instance through means of thermal contraction of air within the container-would not be the means of drawing in air from the outside that might contaminate the goods, but would under excess of external pressure, seal the portion of the outer facing 2l which surrounds the slot 22, against the outer surface of the end wall and thereby prevents air from reaching vent 20.

One advantage of the use of the impervious enveloping material for framed container structures arises from the adaptability of such material to containers of irregular shape where required for special commodities, and Figure 17 illustrates an instance of this kind, 23 being a base and 24, 25 the top and side elements of a framed or form-retaining structure which, be-

ing enveloped in the impervious sheeting herein i contemplated and having such sheeting properly united at its margins, will constitute the means of extending the principles of the present invention to any shaped form of package that may be desired.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that among the advantages afforded by the present invention are the use of its framing elements for not only lending shape and determining the capacity of the container, but for facilitating the hermetic and, in most instances, integral union between portions of the sheet material that provide the transparent confines of the container and those portions thereof which envelop or overlie the framing elements; the complete envelopment of the framing elements, while an inci-dent to the fullest realization of the advantages of the invention and desirable where contact of the material of the framing elements with the goods would be objectionable because of contamination, absorption or other effect, need only be partial in those instances where hermetic sealing and facility of union of the transparent walls with the shaping walls are the principal desiderata; the enveloping of the framing strip material with the highly flexible hermetic sheet material leaves the enveloped framing strip highly responsive to flexing localized by the scoring or equivalent means in developing any available geometrical form with the shaping element or affording exibility at point I4e in Figure 13, and in all such situations leaves its angles hermetically protected as well as facilitates hermetic sealing of the meeting ends in closing the selected polygon; and the use of the hermetically united transparent walls throughout their margins to retain the polygonal form of the framing element by its distention over the Space defined by the framing element, since distortions of the angles of the polygonal framing element introduce stresses of tension in the transparent wall.

I claim:

1. A container for packaging commodities, said container comprising a framing element defining the perimeter of the package, and a transparent sheet wall closing the space defined by said perimeter; the framing element comprising a flexed strip hermetically enveloped in sheet facing material, the ends of said framing element being lapped in completing the perimeter of the frame, and the hermetic element of the framing envelope being extended beyond the lap of said strip and being hermetically sealed upon itself.

2.'An impervious merchandising container, comprising a relatively rigid framing member fashioned and exed to provide an upstanding perimeter for said container with ends that meet to close the same, and impervious facing sheet material overlying said perimeter, extending be yond the .ends thereof at the place of meeting `and lapped upon and united with the adjacent l tend; said upstanding portions are united by the impervious facing sheet at all of their points of meeting; and the said container includes an #il impervious sheet closure opposite to vthe closure provided by the framing member, the last-named closure being marginally lapped upon the upwardly presented edges of the perimeter and hermetically united with the facing sheet thereat.

5. A container as described in claim 2, in which A the impervious facing sheet is located on both the outside and the inside of the perimeter, said outside and inside facing sheets being extended past the edges of the perimeter and hermetia cally united thereat.

6. A container for packaging commodities, said container comprising a relatively rigid framing element covered with inner and outer facings of impervious sheet material, hermetically enclosing said framing element, and a vent for said container comprising a grommet which extends through the framing element and through the facing sheets on opposite sides thereof, said grommet having flanges which overlie theA said facing sheets and hermetically exclude the flow of gases or air through the framing element on the outside of the opening of the grommet or between the facing sheets and the grommet.

'7. A packaging container comprising a relatively rigid framing element embodied in and defining lateral walls of the container; said Walls comprising in addition to said framing element, inner and outer impervious. sheet facings united together and hermetically enveloping said walls; said container also comprising iiexible sheet confines in planes that include margins of said lateral walls; said sheet connes being hermetically united to sheet facings of the walls and completing the closure of the container; one of said lateral walls being constructed with a gas passage leading from the interior of the container to a point between its outer sheet facing and its framing element and having its said outer sheet facing provided at a point remote from said gas passage, with a free edge past which pressure medium escapes from the container when under a pressure exceeding that of atmosphere, but which checks infiow of air to the gas passage when pressure within the container is below that of atmosphere. 

